Nathalyen, the Wanderer
by theautumnsky
Summary: Nathalyen is the outcast among her small village. After being told something rather shocking, Nathalyen decides to pack up and run away. Wandering the lands of Middle Earth for the next 3 years, she eventually gets caught up in a quest to destroy the One Ring. T just in case.
1. The Runner

**I do not in any way own Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien does. All credit goes to that amazing writer.**

Nathalyen was a strange girl of 19. With raven black hair, violet eyes, and pale, vampire – like skin, she stood out among her small village.

Her village, the small town of Garfinell, resided at the edge of the Grey Mountains, near the border of Mirkwood. The people there were tough and hardy, for Mirkwood was known for its strange creatures, and the mountains were infested with dragons. Everyone in the town knew how to wield a weapon, it was required if you were to defend yourself from wargs, giant spiders, or dragons. The people there were quite wary of strangers and suspicious looking rangers.

So of course, when Natharas, son of Fathares, brought home a strange orphan infant 19 years ago, rumors and suspicion spread through the town quickly. Who was the orphan girl? Some said she was an heir of the country Gondor. One said she was a young elfling. Another said she was merely the product of an affair in which Natharas had. One even went so far to say that she was an evil demon in the form of an infant, come to kill them all. No matter how outlandish and ridiculous the rumors were, however, Natharas and his wife, Ryvilyen, took the infant in and raised her as their own. And although there were still whisperings of rumors, for the most part the village accepted the strange girl in the end.

So, Nathalyen grew up happily as the daughter of Natharas and Ryvilyen, sister to Nathaor, Rhatharas, Navilyen, and Rathilyen. Not once did the town, her parents, or her two older siblings let slip that she was an orphan.

Nathalyen was a quiet soul who did not do very well in social situations. She just didn't get others. So for the most part, she remained friendless and kept to herself. The girl spent much of her time singing, for music was a big part of her life, reading any book she could get her hands on, or exploring the edges of Mirkwood. Ryvilyen tried many times in vain to teach her how to act like a proper lady, cook, and sew, to no avail. The girl was as stubborn as mule, and seemed impossible teach.

So you can imagine, of course, Nathalyen's horror when she was told she was to be married. You can also probably imagine her complete and utter rage when she learned it was to Bolvgrar, son of Vrolvgrar.

Bolvgrar, of all people, was the one person in the whole village she completely and utterly despised with every moral fiber in her whole body. She hated how he seemed to be the heartache of every teenage girl in the village. She hated his light blonde hair, tan skin, strikingly green eyes, and well - muscled body. She hated his arrogance and pride. She hated how naïve and proud he was. But most of all, she hated his view on women, different races, and dragons.

Nathalyen loved her freedom, and thought that men and women were all equals. She also held a special fascination about the other races of middle-earth. Nathalyen had always wanted to see elven and dwarven cities. But what fascinated her most was the dragons.

Growing up in a village where dragons were considered the most horrible things on earth, you'd think she'd regard them the same way. That, however, was not the case. She had always wanted to run her hands along the scales of a dragon, to see through their eyes. Nathalyen thought, deep down, that not all dragons were evil.

Bolvgrar, however, completely disagreed with all of this. He regarded all women completely as breed ing stock, had the utmost racism against all races of Middle Earth, and hated the very air dragons breathed.

So, on that peaceful night when Natharas told Nathalyen she was to be married to Bolvgrar, Nathalyen made a decision.

She had decided to run away.

And never come back.

**Reviews please. I'd like to know what you think. What can I improve on? :)**


	2. The Encounter

**Thanks to all who reviewed I really appreciate it! I'm trying my best to make this a good story which is worth reading. Also, I in no way own Lord of the Rings. I only own Nathalyen.**

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Nathalyen hurriedly stuffed some clothes into her backpack. She couldn't take it anymore; she couldn't stand being in this little village.

She snapped the day that Natharas announced that she was going to be married to Bolvgrar.

So, she decided to leave the little village in which everybody was so _nosy and traditional._

Now here she was, in the middle of the night, stuffing her belongings into her bag.

Nathalyen had already put everything into her bag, and gotten her knife and bow and arrows. Now she just needed to escape without being heard. She had gone over some possibilities already. The stairs creaked way too much, and her parents were light sleepers. Besides, it seemed much more adventurous and dangerous if she jumped out the window.

Quietly, the girl tiptoed over to the window, opening it. Then, she swung her legs over the side and jumped down. It seemed luck was on her side today, for she managed to land on her feet perfectly. Then, she ran to the barn. Qynnix, her horse, seemed happy to see Nathalyen. He neighed softly to his companion, stretching his neck to her. Nathalyen let him out of his stable, careful not wake the other horses, then saddled him up and strapped her bag to him. Then, she swung up onto Qynnix and rode out of Garfinell.

Riding out of Garfinell at night was a dangerous thing. It always was, even at day. Sinister things lived in Mirkwood, and the mountains were full of foul creatures. Not just dragons, but orcs and goblins. That's why you never strayed from the road. If you did, you might just lose your way and get eaten by some creature.

Nathalyen glanced around as she rode down the road. Faint roars could be heard from the top of the mountain. She shivered, and a little thrill went down her back. Most likely the dragons were fighting for a mate, as it was the right time of year.

Hearing the roars made her think of her first encounter with a dragon; she had been young then, around 6.

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_A battle raged through the village. The roar of dragons and scream of dying men was loud in her ears. "Nathalyen stay inside and watch your younger siblings. Don't you dare go out once," her father said. Then, he grabbed his sword and charged outside to help with the battle. Nathalyen sighed and picked up the baby. Mother wouldn't be there to look after her, for she was at her parent's farm. Nathalyen's grandmother was gravely ill._

_A loud rumble shook the house. Quietly, Nathelyen set the baby in the crib, and crept to the window. Houses were on fire, and men ran through the village, shooting their arrows at dangerous figures in the air, or stabbing at a dragon when it came down to the ground._

_Finally, the girl couldn't take it anymore. Even though she was only 6, she couldn't stand all the action going on around her. She also didn't quite understand the true danger there was. So, she grabbed her knife and medicine kit, and snuck out the back door._

_Everybody was too busy to notice the small figure that crept sneakily around the houses. She had spotted a smaller dragon at the edge of the battle, and had planned to go over there and kill it to please Father. _

_What she saw, however, stopped Nathalyen right in her tracks._

_Right in front of her was a wounded dragon._

_It was small and young looking, with long limbs. Its dark red scales glittered in the moonlight, the fires blazing around them just adding to the beautiful effect. The dragon had a nasty wound close to its chest, and was breathing heavily._

_Nathalyen raised her knife and slowly approached it. The dragon, who was laying on its side on the hard ground, turned a glittering gold eye towards her. Smoke rose from its nostrils._

_She hesitated. Perhaps she should go back… Nathalyen quickly cast that out of her mind. No, she would kill it and prove to father that she was worthy of learning the things her brother did._

_Nathalyen took a step closer. The dragon growled. She stopped, and then continued on, her whole body shaking. Once she was standing in front of it, she raised the knife to its throat. The world seemed to slow around her as she brought the knife down to its throat. Today would be the day that this foul beast would die._

_Then she stopped, the blade just millimeters away from piercing its throat. She had seen something in its eyes. She didn't know what to call it at that point in time. It seemed… sad. Quivering, the girl set down the knife. She didn't know anymore. She had always been told dragons were evil, ruthless beasts that ate children like her. Now however, she wasn't so sure. How could something so beautiful and helpless be evil?_

_The dragon watched Nathalyen knowingly as she slowly as she got out her pouch of medicine. The battle was slowly winding down. She would have to be quick, and Father must never know what she was going to do. _

_She got out an ointment and rubbed it on its wound, then carefully bandaged it. Once she finished, Nathalyen looked over to the dragon's glittering eyes. It seemed almost relieved and thankful of her. Slowly, she raised her hand over to its head to touch it._

_She stopped, however, when she heard the faint sound of footsteps coming this way. "Fly away!" she whispered to the dragon. It struggled up, giving one last glance towards her, before launching itself up into the air and disappearing into the clouds. Nathalyen watched as it flew away, and then whipped around as she heard somebody reach her. "Nathalyen, there you are!" said Father with relief in his voice. He walked over to her and pulled the small girl into a fierce hug. "Don't you ever leave the house during a battle again!" He exclaimed. "I won't," Nathalyen replied, not telling him about the dragon. _

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Nathalyen was pulled out of her memory when a wolf howled from somewhere in the forest. She shivered and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. It was going to be a long night.

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**More reviews, please. What can I improve on to make this story better?**


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